1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a network game system, a network game server, network game clients, a player selection program, a medium storing a player selection program, and a medium storing a player information collection program which are designed to carry out indoor games such as shogi, igo, chess, Othello game, mah-jong, fighting-type television games, and other games, and more particularly to a network game system, a network game server, network game clients, a player selection program, a medium storing a player selection program, and a medium storing a player information collection program which are designed to select play partners from an indefinitely large number of participants.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has been general that indoor games such as shogi, igo, chess, Othello game, mah-jong, fighting-type television games, and other games are played in a manner that players play them at the same time and at the same place. However, with recent advances in information communication technology, tools have been developed which enable players to play them remotely by connecting computers by communication lines. This allows players to play the games at home. In this case, however, since a person that wants to play is at a specific place, it is difficult to select play partners.
Accordingly, there is provided an easier-to-use player display system which registers information about persons ready to play and displays its contents on the screen of terminal equipment of users who wish to play (Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei 7-95321). Use of this system enables users who wish to play to select opposing players from the screen to obtain play partners, whereby the users can play with the selected play partners.
The same function as that of the above-mentioned system is also implemented by listing users by use of homepages on the Internet.
However, the above-mentioned player display system requires that users themselves look for partners satisfying their requirements by themselves and make contact by themselves. This is difficult in the points described below.
(1) Desired partners with whom to play do not desire to play. PA0 (2) Desired partners with whom to play cannot play immediately because they are playing. PA0 (3) It must be monitored that desired partners with whom to play finish playing. PA0 (4) Time-consuming operations other than the true purpose of playing games, such as displaying information about persons ready to play and selecting proper partners, are required.